The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-08-21

than salmon, will be taken at the box
Office"
Night came. So did the rush. Senator
Rail was the firsts leading Astorian tc
| arrive. He came with Mrs. Senator Bal
| and three little Balls In a carriage, fol.
lowed bv a wheelbarrow loaded with
salmon, which were handed into the box.
ofiice-seats for five.
Then came the Mayor, Constable, and
Lord High everything else, with his wife
and Miss Taffy, the sweet poetess of As
toria and its suburbs. Six more fish.
His Hon. Judge Cardamoncede, and his
friend General Orohno, the hero of many
hard-foucht battle of draw poker, added
their scaly tribute for the encouragement
of the legitimate drama.
The orchestra, consisting of the frag-
mentary reminiscence of n piano, an
elderly bass-viol, high-toned fife, and q
strange-Iooking moaning instrument for
auricular torment, which bore a very
close resemblance TO q loaf of Boston
brown bread surmounted by q pretZel
rampant.
The town bill-sticker having finished
hosting the bills and generously volun-
teered to act as the leader of the band,
waved the handle of his paste brush as
the signal for turning on the overture.
The theate- was packed-with fisher
men and the elite of the town. 1t was a
gala night and never was the pillow
padded rotundity of the only original live
Falstaff seen to more expansive ad-
vantage.
But the box Office, shelves, tables and
chairs were piled and heaped with salmon.
II was Sam on everything. That is Sam
the treasurer, was Sam on salmon every
-v-A1 hot ha6
enclosure known as the box office. To
paraphrase the Ancient Mariners wall.
There was fish, fish everywhere, but not
4 cent for a drink"
After the curtain was up the treasurer
got outside and packed all he could of
the piscatorial receipts through the ticket
window. The remainder he threw in a
heap at the entrance under the guardian
ship of the door keeper.
When the performance closed-the
manager having announced special
salmon representation of "The New
MagdaIen' for the next highland the
audience had departed, John came in
front to learn what the receipts amounted
tO-in solid hard fish.
"I've tailed them. Altogether there's
nine hundred salmon in. Every seat was
sold"
Good" chuckled John. "Ali fresh are
they?"
They're daisies, most of 'em buck
too"
Good again. Let me see. nine-the
half of nine is four and half. Four
hundred and fifty dollars. By Joye-a
week of this salmon business IL put US
on our feet for the season. God bless our
h Oregon"
"Now Governor-about the receipts
the fish?''
go right down to the canning man
and tell him to come and cart 'em of.
Tell him to bring $50 with hinl-now be
quick. He told me he'd take all l could
get in"
Treasurer obeyed orders. Half an hour
later the salmon Gamer came with
couple of his men and the wagon.
''Here l am, Mr.. Manager; it's big
catch, eh? The drammer's better bait
than thought for. There's nine hun
dred, eh? Now let's look at 'em."
When he did ''look ut 'em" he roared.
He no hoed and ha haed and his help
did the same.
what in the name of Prince Halls the
matter with you? What are you laugh
awell, we amt a buyin' steel heads
not much"
"W-h-a-tr'
"Why, these fishermen have stuck you
Just too lovely for anything. These here
fish are 'steel-heads.' They're a species
of salmon which even a digger Indian
wouldn't eat. We sell 'em for twenty
cents a load for fertilizing purposes.
Why didn't you get a jedge of salmon
into your box Office, hey?"
'Steelheads. Godelmityw groaned the
manager, making a rush for the treasurer,
who incontinently skipped.
In the afternoon of that day there was
a melancholy procession going from the
wharf on TO the steamer for Portland.
The procession was the members of the
New York Comedy company Climited.)
And the salmon fisheries interest them
no more.